02/12/2026
Sacramento State University celebrated International Greek Language Day across three different courses on Monday, February 9th! In the CCE Modern Greek language classes, we had the honor of welcoming the Consul General of Greece in San Francisco, Grigoris Tassiopoulos.
In the History courses, students commemorated Dionysios Solomos, the national poet of Greece and a pivotal figure in the shaping of modern Greek identity. His most celebrated work, “Hymn to Liberty” (1823), inspired by the struggle for independence from Ottoman rule, later became the Greek national anthem. Through his writings, Solomos emphasized the importance of linguistic unity, cultural identity, and freedom—values that resonate deeply with the spirit of International Greek Language Day. His legacy remains central to understanding the evolution of the Greek language and its cultural significance.
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[following in 🇬🇧]
✍Τη γλώσσα μού έδωσαν ελληνική· [...]
Εκεί δάφνες και βάγια
θυμιατό και λιβάνισμα
τις πάλες ευλογώντας και τα καριοφίλια. [...]
Αγάπες μυστικές με τα πρώτα λόγια του Ύμνου.
Μονάχη έγνοια η γλώσσα μου, με τα πρώτα λόγια του Ύμνου!
📖Οδυσσέας Ελύτης. [1959] 2011. ΤΟ ΑΞΙΟΝ ΕΣΤΙ. 21η έκδ. Αθήνα: Ίκαρος.
́μερα, 9 Φεβρουαρίου του 1857, απεβίωσε ο Διονύσιος Σολωμός. Το 2017 η ημέρα αυτή καθιερώθηκε ως Παγκόσμια Ημέρα Ελληνικής Γλώσσας.
🖼Προσωπογραφία Διονυσίου Σολωμού.
Εθνικό Ιστορικό Μουσείο | Συλλογή Ζωγραφικών
© Ιστορική και Εθνολογική Εταιρεία της Ελλάδος
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✍ I was given the Greek language; [...]
Laurel there and palm fronds
censer and censings
blessing the sabres and flintlocks [...]
Secret loves with the first words of the Hymn. 2
My only care my language, with the first words of the Hymn!
📖 Odysseus Elytis, THE AXION ESTI, 1959.
, February 9 1857, our national poet Dionysios Solomos passed away. This day was established as in 2017.
🖼Dionysios Solomos portrait.
National Historical Museum | Portrait Collection
© Historical and Ethnological Society of Greece
